Men's Rosary

We are called to be men of virtue.  At Baptism we were infused with the virtues of Faith, Hope, Love (charity), Justice, Prudence, Temperance, and Fortitude.  We were also given graces to live within and grow in these virtues.

• Faith – Believing in God and accepting what He has revealed as truth.
• Hope – Desiring the kingdom of Heaven as perfect happiness, trusting in God’s promises, and relying on the grace of the Holy Spirit.
• Love (charity) – Loving God above all things and our neighbor as ourselves.
• Justice – To seek what is good and fair, avoiding what is evil and acting rightly toward others.
• Prudence – Helps us act well and be good in our daily lives and do the right thing in particular circumstances.
• Temperance – Moderates the attraction of carnal pleasure and helps to balance the use of created goods.
• Fortitude – Helps us to persevere in doing good in spite of any obstacles before us.

In spite of this, and with knowledge of it, we still fail!  It is human nature, the struggle between the flesh and the spirit – concupiscence. (CCC 2514-2516)  This was true even for St. Paul who lamented “For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do.” (Roman 7:19)  The only way to grow in virtue is through grace.  It is not something we can earn through charitable deeds; it is through the gift of God’ grace.  This brings us to another case in point.

As a result of our Baptism, we are called to be men of prayer, and prayer is the primary way to receive grace to grow in virtue!  We receive grace and nourish the virtues through reading Scripture, daily prayer begging God to increase them in us, receiving the Sacraments to strengthen us to persevere, studying and growing in our Faith, and cooperating with the Holy Spirit, uniting our will with His and doing what is right, shunning evil, and serving our neighbor daily.  “Virtues are formed by prayer.  Prayer preserves temperance.  Prayer suppresses anger.  Prayer prevents emotions of pride and envy.  Prayer draws into the soul the Holy Spirit and raises man to Heaven.”          (St. Ephrem)

Let us be vigilant in improving.  It is important to take inventory of how we are living to acknowledge our weaknesses and failings so as to do better.  A daily examination of conscious will provide the means to do this.  This is not only important, but I would say vital, to our spiritual life.  “Examine yourselves to see whether you are holding fast to your faith.  Test yourselves.  Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you? – unless indeed you fail to meet the test.” (2 Corinthians 13:5)  The most important thing to do is for us to continually go back to God for grace.  “Let us test and examine our ways; and return to the Lord.” (Lamentations 3:40)

Let us be men of virtue. Let us be men of prayer. Let us be men of purpose and strength.  And by the grace of the Holy Spirit – Let us be men of God.

“A good man is not a perfect man; a good man is an honest man, faithful and unhesitatingly responsive to the voice of God in his life.”  (St. John Fisher)